AFT turns up pressure for international human and trade union rights

by Trish Gorman 

The AFT is stepping up its activities to support free trade unionism, democracy and human rights abroad through letters to government leaders, exchanges and projects to promote international civic education.

Working with a network of global education partners and Education International, the AFT helps educators in other parts of the world develop strong democratic unions, encourages the expansion of "education for democracy," and protests violations of worker and human rights.

That work has been more crucial than ever in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the renewed international attention to threats against democratic nations and concern for human rights around the world.

"AFT's historic international role in fighting for the expansion of democracy and freedom positions our union to play a special and important part in the fight against terrorism," says AFT vice president Herb Magidson, who chairs the union's Democracy Committee. "That fight not only seeks to end the rule of dictators who enslave their own people; of equal importance is the drive to create schools in emerging democracies that teach the importance of tolerance, respect for diversity and support for the rule of law."

At the AFT convention in July, AFT president Sandra Feldman outlined the union's role in promoting democracy as she introduced the union's 2002 Bayard Rustin human rights award recipient, Szeto Wah, a founder of the independent teachers union in Hong Kong and chair of the Hong Kong Alliance for Democracy in China.

"The end of communism, the defeat of apartheid and the victories over Latin-American military regimes were triumphs of ordinary citizens and workers who organized to defeat repressive regimes at great risk to themselves and their families," Feldman said. "In every case, teachers have been some of the most important foot soldiers for freedom--and AFT has been involved throughout these years and in these countries doing what we could to help freedom fighters."

The AFT has backed up this belief with concrete support and involvement on a number of fronts. These include:

Nigeria  President Feldman has written a letter protesting the sentence of death by stoning against a woman in Nigeria, Amina Lawal, who had a child out of wedlock. Feldman called on Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo to prevent the sentence from being carried out, noting, "We can hardly believe that Nigerian women, living in a democracy, could be subject to such cruel and debasing punishment."

Islamic courts in northern Nigeria have adopted new penal codes that establish the death penalty for adultery and authorize inhumane forms of punishment such as stoning and amputation--even though the Nigerian government has said such punishments are unconstitutional. Nigerian officials later said they would not allow Amina Lawal's sentence to be carried out, noting that the verdict would likely be overturned on appeal in a federal court.

Burma  The union's executive council this fall continued funding to assist ethnic Karen activists inside Burma and in refugee camps along the Thai border in leadership training programs for teachers, health workers and agricultural workers. Although Aung Sun Suu Ky, leader of Burma's democracy movement, has been freed from house arrest, she has not been permitted to assume her elected office as president. Further, the Burmese military continues to commit atrocities against the Karen and other ethnic Burmese.

This past June, one AFT-trained leader of the Karen Agriculture Workers Union, while delivering supplies to a school, was seized by Burmese soldiers, interrogated and tortured. His fate remains unknown. Last year, a teacher and leader of the Karen Education Workers Union was seized, put into forced labor and killed while trying to escape.

Despite the constant danger, union activists have demonstrated extraordinary courage and persistence. AFT projects already have prepared a group of trainers to visit refugee camps and travel inside Burma to teach about the principles, goals, structure and activities of democratic trade unions. In February and March 2002, the trainers conducted organizing campaigns for teachers and other workers in several districts. These activists must hide from military forces, sometimes conducting their sessions in candlelight or in remote hiding places.

Colombia  AFT president Sandra Feldman has written to Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe Velez, urging him to take measures to stop the murder and persecution of trade unionists and teachers by paramilitary groups, guerillas and other forces in that country.

Guerilla groups have attempted to extract protection money and "taxes" from coca growers and drug traffickers; the drug lords, in turn, have created their own self-defense groups, with the acquiescence of the military. Teachers and trade unionists who oppose the violence have been caught in the middle and have become targets of both sides; between 1986 and 2001, more than 400 educators have been murdered.

As part of the AFT's efforts to help its own leaders and members better understand the complex political and military situation in Colombia, the union will host a delegation of teacher leaders in the United States this coming year for a two-week visit and study tour.

The delegation will visit AFT headquarters and three additional cities to speak with AFT leaders, trade unionists and community organizations about the political environment in Colombia. They also will meet with AFT local leaders and members to learn about AFT organizational and educational policies.

Civic education  Over the years, the AFT has worked with fledgling teacher union organizations in Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and elsewhere to help promote civic education. Through a program called Education for Democracy/International, the union helps teachers abroad understand how democracy works, the importance of the rule of law, and the role of the citizenry in defending human rights and making informed choices and decisions.

Most recently, the U.S. State Department has awarded funds to the AFT to conduct a series of teacher training workshops and curriculum projects in Tanzania, offered in cooperation with Tanzanian government institutions, the Tanzania Teachers Union and CIVITAS Tanzania.

There are other projects and campaigns, including the union's continuing battle against child labor worldwide; the classroom-to-classroom project that connects U.S. classrooms with counterparts in emerging democracies; curriculum materials for teachers on global democracy; the AFT-Africa AIDS campaign (see sidebar) and the union's work with Chinese democracy activists.